Enterprise Wins Trademark Dispute with Europcar

The High Court in London has ruled in favor of Enterprise Holdings in a trademark dispute with Europcar.

The dispute focused on the use of the "e-logo" by Enterprise Holdings' flagship brand, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and occurred when Europcar introduced an "e" logo in its branding in 2012. This was subsequently used extensively in Europcar's advertising and marketing campaigns across Europe.

Enterprise claimed that the new Europcar logo was confusingly similar to the Enterprise Rent-A-Car trade mark, a variant of which has been consistently used across Europe since 1994 — when Enterprise Holdings set up its first branch operations in the U.K, according to the company.

The court found that the Enterprise Rent-A-Car trademark had distinctive character and reputation as a result of extensive use, and confusion had been caused by Europcar's use of its "e" logo. Therefore, the court concluded that Europcar's use of their logo infringed on Enterprise's rights.

This decision closely follows an arbitration ruling in December 2014 that enabled Enterprise to terminate Europcar's license to operate the National and Alamo brands across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). These brands have now reverted to Enterprise in most of Europe, according to the company.

"We have invested heavily over recent years to grow the Enterprise brand in Europe and provide customers with an exceptional experience,” said Jim Burrell, European senior vice president of Enterprise Holdings. " … Customers have the right to know who they are buying from, and what that company stands for, which is why our brand matters so much. This decision is especially welcomed at a time when we are growing our brand as a global business, and when demand for car rental is also expanding rapidly as people change their mobility habits.”